As I have mentioned, trading with other users is a major part of the game. Its essential to being successful. Its also a ton of fun. That being said, there are a lot of things new users may not understand that makes it difficult for other fans to stomach. Here is how to avoid the common mistakes with good etiquette.

Singles

When trading someone with a collection score above 50, its frowned upon to offer trades for non-insert cards they only have one copy. Because of the award structure that rewards fans for having sets of cards, most people will not want to trade their single cards. Most of the people out there will also want to have a copy of each card just in case the player gets hot. Because most of the base cards have THOUSANDS of copies, dont make the offer until you find someone with dupes.

Large Offers

It is really easy to think that collectors will want to do huge trades to accomplish goals in the game. Its just not the case. Not only is it intimidating to give up a ton of cards at once, the chances you have that one of the cards are important to them is high. You can offer as many of your cards at a time as you want, but I wouldnt request anything more than 3 from a user unless you are SURE they wont mind.

Rarity Levels

This is a huge pitfall for new users, as the game makes it seem like the higher rarity levels mean cards are more valuable than lower. That is only true in certain circumstances – and definitely not true in trading non-inserts. Just because you are offering a silver and a red, the other user will likely not be willing to give up the house. It may mean you can get one extra card or maybe a better player of a lower rarity, but not five extra. With non-inserts, points potential of the card and the amount of the card in the collection is more important than rarity in most cases.

Trading Inserts

When you are trading inserts, its a completely different ball game. I would go so far as saying 90% of the new users have no clue how to approach trading for inserts. They offer 9 base cards for a super rare insert and expect that quantity will make up for lack of quality. It doesnt work that way, unfortunately. When offering against inserts, start with the lower rarity levels and work your way up. You may need to trade 5-6 base cards for even the most common of inserts, and that isnt even guaranteed. If you pull an insert, the newest ones will be worth more, so dont give it up easily. On the flip side, dont expect to trade your fresh uncommon insert for a super rare sig.

Trading for Signatures

Sigs are on a different level – and they are almost untouchable unless you have really nice stuff. I had to do multiple trades of 9 cards with inserts to get my first sig. I still dont own the best ones in the game. That hasnt stopped people from offering 9 base cards for my best card. That’s how you get blocked by experienced users. To trade for any sig, your offer will have to include at least one low availability card.

Trading Messages

As someone who has a lot of nice cards on both Huddle and Bunt, the messages included on trades can be almost as bad as the trades themselves. I have seen people say some of the most damaging things in their trade comments that would make me decline a good trade just out of principle.

DONT – beg for the cards in the trade comments DONT – ask the collector to counter back in the comments DONT – ask to borrow the card DONT – mention anything about your “great” reputation DONT – explain the trade’s value in the commentsDO – say thank you for a trade you offering DO – give them time to respond DO – be friendly at all costs, even if they are not returning the favor

Trading Frequency

Ill make this very simple. If a collector declines your trade, its for a reason. Please take this as a hint to not offer the same trade again and again. Its also not a cue to send more trades for that same card. Just move on, in most cases, lots of people have that card you want. This is one of those things that will get you blocked by people you dont want to be blocked by.

NOTE:This article may make trading seem daunting, but its not, as long as you have patience and persistence. That is also not saying that someone will not accept your unbalanced trade at some point. There are DEALS to be had. In almost every situation, I have been OFFERED the deal instead of me offering. Just be conscious of the fact that this is a collection game, and people will like hanging onto their favorite cards. Dont get upset if someone wont trade theirs to you.

About Digital Card Central

This site is not affiliated with Topps, Topps Bunt, Topps Star Wars Card Trader or Topps Huddle in any way. All content on this site is opinion and based on experience. This is a fan site of the game, made by someone who very much enjoys the community it represents.